Annual research conference

Nurses and midwives are central to Primary Health Care and the achievement of Universal Health Coverage (WHO 2024). Indeed, nurses and midwives are often the first and sometimes the only health professional that people see and the quality of their initial assessment, care and treatment is vital. However, the WHO estimates a shortage of 4.5 million nurses and .31 million midwives globally by the year 2030 with the greatest gaps found in countries in Africa, Latin America, South-East Asia and the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region. 

More must be done to attract and retain nurses and midwives in an ethical and sustainable way through new approaches to education, jobs, leadership and service delivery. This stream will showcase novel nursing and midwifery initiatives, policy, practice and research nationally and internationally that address workforce challenges in all their forms incorporating personnel in home support, residential care, etc.

Without doubt, healthcare continues to become an increasing complex, demanding and dynamic environment in which to work. Nurses and midwives can be faced with unrealistic workloads, short staffing and insufficient resources, amongst others, that increase the mental and emotional burden of care. 

This can lead to stress, burnout, turnover, maladaptive behaviours such as substance abuse and self-harm, and in some cases, suicide. It is incumbent on employers, the professions, and professionals themselves to foster work environments that support the physical, emotional, and mental well-being and integrity of nurses and midwives.

This stream will showcase nursing and midwifery initiatives, research, policy and practice that retain, sustain and replenish the nursing and midwifery workforce.

As suggested in the recent Expert Review Body Report on Nursing and Midwifery (Ryan, 2022), there will be major changes in health workers’ roles globally over the next 20 years and beyond. 

As one of the largest professional groupings, nurses and midwives are ideally placed to initiate and lead these changes with a focus on impact, justice, sustainability and social return. 

In order to best do this, nurses and midwives will need to draw not just on their ethical, empirical, aesthetical and personal ways of knowing, but also on socio-political and emancipatory ways of knowing. This stream will showcase nursing and midwifery initiatives and research that demonstrate impact across policy and practice.

Nurses and midwives play a pivotal role in improving health, contributing to the wider economy, shaping health policy and driving primary care. Investing in nurses and midwives is imperative to achieve efficient, effective, resilient and sustainable health systems. 

However, equally imperative is demonstrating the social return on this investment and clearly articulating the contribution our professions make. This stream will showcase nursing and midwifery initiatives, research, policy and practice that address the social determinants of health, non-communicable diseases, universal health coverage and sustainable development goals.

Professor James Buchan is a Senior Fellow at the Health Foundation, UK; Adjunct Professor at the WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing, University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) and Honorary Professor, National Centre for Health Workforce Studies Australian National University.

He is currently a member of the strategy group developing a National Nurse Workforce Strategy in Australia; a member of the Scottish Government Ministerial Taskforce on Nursing and Midwifery; and a member of the Expert Advisory Group reviewing the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel.

He has specialised in nurse workforce policy throughout his career. His background includes periods working in government agencies in Scotland and Australia. He has also been a Regional Adviser on Human Resources for Health for WHO. In recent years he has worked extensively as a consultant on health workforce policy and planning, in countries in Europe, Asia and the Pacific, for governments and international agencies.

He is Editor Emeritus of Human Resources for Health, the peer reviewed journal affiliated with WHO; an Hon. Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, and an Hon. Fellow of the Australian College of Nursing.

Dr Ruth Riley, Associate Professor, University of Surrey, is a sociologist and qualitative researcher and the recent holder of a Wellcome Trust Discovery Award for a project titled: ‘Revisioning distress and nurse suicidality through a feminist, critical suicidology lens’, to explore contexts contributing to the higher rates of suicide in female nurses.

This five-year project for nurses, with nurses will be provide a space and a voice for the 750,000 nurses working in the UK, including internationally qualified nurses and nurses from the global majority.

She has spent the last 15 years investigating and illuminating the voices and experiences of healthcare professionals through her research.

Professor Daniel B. Oerther, PhD, CEng, is the Executive Director of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists and a Professor of Environmental Health Engineering at the Missouri University of Science and Technology.

He is internationally recognised for leadership and excellence in environmental engineering and science education and policy including inter professional education pioneering modified mastery learning to advance the V-shaped profession of the nurse and engineer.

Previously, Prof. Oerther served as the Senior Science Advisor to the Secretary’s Office of Global Food Security at the US Department of State. An engineer by training and trade (Chartered Engineer in the UK), he regularly collaborates with nurses, sanitarians, and others to advance a shared practice of environmental health with a particular emphasis on sustainable development and planetary health.

Regularly recognised as a leader in environmental engineering and sanitation, Prof. Oerther also received the 2024 Champion of Nursing Award from the American Nurses Association, the 2023 Edith Moore Copeland Founders Award for Excellence in Creativity and Innovation from Sigma Nursing, and the 2019 Lilian Wald Humanitarian Award from the National League for Nursing in recognition of his efforts improving the lives of those in need through selfless, courageous, creative, and compassionate acts.

Dr Elaine Maxwell is a former Executive Nurse Director at three NHS Hospitals in England. Her PhD explored the introduction of new work roles in hospitals and she led the Masters in Leadership and Service Improvement at London South Bank University, before taking up the post of Clinical Advisor at the National Institute for Health and Care Research Dissemination Centre.

She is currently Visiting Professor of Leadership at London South Bank University and a member of the Panel of the statutory Public Inquiry into failings at Muckamore Abbey Hospital in Northern Ireland.

Viktoria Stein is Assistant Professor at the Department for Public Health and Primary Care at Leiden University Medical Centre and joint editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Integrated Care. She is a consultant for international agencies like the World Health Organisation, World Bank, the European Commission, or Accreditation Canada, providing input on topics as workforce development, integrated care design, evaluation and monitoring, or population health management and community involvement.

A special focus throughout her career has been the creation of opportunities to develop learning organisations and systems.

Dr Linda Valentino is an esteemed nurse executive and chief nursing officer with extensive experience in advancing nursing practice and operational excellence across multiple prestigious, academic healthcare institutions in New York City. With a strong background in leadership, Magnet excellence, and strategic nursing management, Dr Valentino has demonstrated expertise in optimising nurse staffing, enhancing workforce engagement, and implementing innovative solutions to improve patient care.

Dr Valentino earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Massachusetts General Hospital’s Institute of Health Professions in 2023, reflecting her commitment to advanced nursing leadership. She holds a Master of Science in Nursing Administration from Hunter College of The City University of New York, obtained in 1998. Additionally, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Wagner College in 1986.

Dr Valentino's work includes co-authoring chapters on workplace change strategies and relationship-based care in prominent nursing texts. She has published research in journals such as the Journal of Neuroscience Nursing and Nursing Economics, focusing on nurse workload measurement, peer-to-peer partnerships, and clinical pathway evolution. Notably, her research led to a study that resulted in changes to the uniforms of New York City firefighters, highlighting her impact on both nursing and broader safety practices.

Dr Valentino is a certified nurse executive, Advanced through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), a credential she has held since 2015, underscoring her advanced leadership and management skills in nursing. She is actively involved in the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL) and the American Nurses Association (ANA).